§ 39 and 40. Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) why, under his regulations, married airmen under the age of 21 years are not eligible for married quarters, passage for wife, disturbance allowance, and local overseas allowance which are normally available to other married airmen; and whether he will take steps to remove this discrimination.
(2) whether Mrs. Barbara Leech, 11 Brown Road, Darlaston, whose husband is a leading aircraftman serving in Singapore, is entitled, under his regulations, to the normal passage allowance and local overseas allowance to enable her to join her husband.
§ Mr. C. I. Orr-EwingAlthough airmen under 21 are eligible for marriage allowance, we consider that the other benefits to which the hon. Member refers should be reserved for older men. I am afraid, therefore, that Mrs. Leech, whose husband is just 20, is ineligible for a passage to join him in Singapore, at the taxpayer's expense.
§ Mr. StonehouseIs the hon. Gentleman aware that it is widely regarded as an unnecessary and undue interference with the civil rights of married airmen under the age of 21 that they do not get the same facilities as married airmen over that age? Can he say what the Service reasons are for the discrimination?
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI think that if extra public money were available the House would feel that it should be distributed on extra benefits and extra incentives over the whole Service rather than concentrated on trying to persuade young airmen to get married at an earlier age.